Title: Illegal string offset 'root'
Last modified: August 21, 2016

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# Illegal string offset 'root'

 *  [terryhooker](https://wordpress.org/support/users/terryhooker/)
 * (@terryhooker)
 * [12 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/illegal-string-offset-root/)
 * I’m getting an error message on this page where I use the [family-tree] shortcode.
 * [http://family2remember.us/family-tree-2/](http://family2remember.us/family-tree-2/)
 * Please help – I have no idea what to do. Here are some more details:
 * The entire error message is:
 * > Warning: Illegal string offset ‘root’ in /home2/hookon/public_html/FAMILY2REMEMBER.
   > US/wp-content/plugins/wp-family-tree/family-tree.php on line 364
 * Line 364 is:
 * >  $root = $atts[‘root’];
 * Here is the entire PHP file:
 * > <?php
   >  /** * [@package](https://wordpress.org/support/users/package/) WP Family
   > Tree * [@author](https://wordpress.org/support/users/author/) Arvind Shah *
   > [@version](https://wordpress.org/support/users/version/) 1.0.5 */ /* Plugin
   > Name: WP Family Tree Plugin URI: [http://www.wpfamilytree.com/](http://www.wpfamilytree.com/)
   > Description: Family Tree plugin Author: Arvind Shah Version: 1.0.5 Author URI:
   > [http://www.esscotti.com/](http://www.esscotti.com/)
   > Copyright (c) 2010 – 2013 Arvind Shah
   >  WP Family Tree is released under the
   > GNU General Public License (GPL) [http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.txt](http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.txt)
   > */
   >  require_once(‘wpft_options.php’); require_once(‘class.node.php’); require_once(‘
   > class.tree.php’);
   > /* Render a list of nodes. */
   >  function family_list() {
   >  wpft_options::check_options();
   >  $the_family = tree::get_tree();
   >  $html = “”;
   >  // Print information about each family member… foreach ($the_family
   > as $fm) { $html .= $fm->get_html($the_family); $html .= ‘<hr>’; } return $html;}
   > /* Render the tree. */
   >  function family_tree($root=”) { $the_family = tree::
   > get_tree(); $out = ”; $ancestor = ”;
   >  if (!empty($_GET[‘ancestor’])) {
   >  $ancestor = $_GET[‘ancestor’]; } else { 
   > if (!empty($root)) { $ancestor = $root; } else { $node = reset($the_family);
   > $ancestor = ($node!==false)?$node->post_id:’-1′; } }
   >  if (!is_numeric($ancestor)) {
   >  // find post by post title and assigns the 
   > post id to ancestor $ancestor = tree::get_id_by_name($ancestor, $the_family);}
   >  $render_from_parent = true;
   >  if ($render_from_parent) { $node = tree::get_node_by_id(
   > $ancestor, $the_family); if (!empty($node->father)) { $ancestor = $node->father;}
   > else if (!empty($node->mother)) { $ancestor = $node->mother; } }
   >  $out .= “<script type=’text/javascript’>”;
   >  // Generate javascript tree text…
   >  $tree_data_js = “var tree_txt = new Array(\
   > n”; $the_family = tree::get_tree(); $first = true; foreach ($the_family as 
   > $node) { if (!$first) { $tree_data_js .= ‘,’.”\n”; } else { $first = false;}
   > $str = ‘”EsscottiFTID=’.$node->post_id.'”,’.”\n”; $str .= ‘”Name=’.addslashes(
   > $node->name).'”,’.”\n”; if ($node->gender==’m’) { $str .= ‘”Male”,’.”\n”; }
   > else if ($node->gender==’f’) { $str .= ‘”Female”,’.”\n”; } $str .= ‘”Birthday
   > =’.$node->born.'”,’.”\n”; if (!empty($node->died) && $node->died != ‘-‘) { 
   > $str .= ‘”Deathday=’.$node->died.'”,’.”\n”; }
   >  if (isset($node->partners) && is_array($node->partners)) {
   >  foreach ($node-
   > >partners as $partner) { if (is_numeric($partner)) { $str .= ‘”Spouse=’.$the_family[
   > $partner]->post_id.'”,’.”\n”; } } }
   >  $str .= ‘”Toolbar=toolbar’.$node->post_id.'”,’.”\n”;
   >  $str .= ‘”Thumbnaildiv
   > =thumbnail’.$node->post_id.'”,’.”\n”;
   >  $str .= ‘”Parent=’.$the_family[$node->mother]->post_id.'”,’.”\n”;
   >  $str .=‘”
   > Parent=’.$the_family[$node->father]->post_id.'”‘; $tree_data_js .= $str; } 
   > $tree_data_js .= ‘);’.”\n”; $out .= $tree_data_js; // End generate javascript
   > tree text.
   > // $out .= ‘AddOnload(add_drag);’.”\n”;
   >  $out .= ‘BOX_LINE_Y_SIZE = “‘. wpft_options::
   > get_option(‘generationheight’).'”;’.”\n”; $out .= ‘canvasbgcol = “‘. wpft_options::
   > get_option(‘canvasbgcol’).'”;’.”\n”; $out .= ‘nodeoutlinecol = “‘.wpft_options::
   > get_option(‘nodeoutlinecol’).'”;’.”\n”; $out .= ‘nodefillcol = “‘. wpft_options::
   > get_option(‘nodefillcol’).'”;’.”\n”; $out .= ‘nodefillopacity = ‘.wpft_options::
   > get_option(‘nodefillopacity’).’;’.”\n”; $out .= ‘nodetextcolour = “‘.wpft_options::
   > get_option(‘nodetextcolour’).'”;’.”\n”; $out .= ‘setOneNamePerLine(‘.wpft_options::
   > get_option(‘bOneNamePerLine’).’);’.”\n”; $out .= ‘setOnlyFirstName(‘.wpft_options::
   > get_option(‘bOnlyFirstName’).’);’.”\n”; $out .= ‘setBirthAndDeathDates(‘.wpft_options::
   > get_option(‘bBirthAndDeathDates’).’);’.”\n”; $out .= ‘setConcealLivingDates(‘.
   > wpft_options::get_option(‘bConcealLivingDates’).’);’.”\n”; $out .= ‘setShowSpouse(‘.
   > wpft_options::get_option(‘bShowSpouse’).’);’.”\n”; $out .= ‘setShowOneSpouse(‘.
   > wpft_options::get_option(‘bShowOneSpouse’).’);’.”\n”; $out .= ‘setVerticalSpouses(‘.
   > wpft_options::get_option(‘bVerticalSpouses’).’);’.”\n”; $out .= ‘setMaidenName(‘.
   > wpft_options::get_option(‘bMaidenName’).’);’.”\n”; $out .= ‘setShowGender(‘.
   > wpft_options::get_option(‘bShowGender’).’);’.”\n”; $out .= ‘setDiagonalConnections(‘.
   > wpft_options::get_option(‘bDiagonalConnections’).’);’.”\n”; $out .= ‘setRefocusOnClick(‘.
   > wpft_options::get_option(‘bRefocusOnClick’).’);’.”\n”; $out .= ‘setShowToolbar(‘.
   > wpft_options::get_option(‘bShowToolbar’).’);’.”\n”; $out .= ‘setNodeRounding(‘.
   > wpft_options::get_option(‘nodecornerradius’).’);’.”\n”;
   >  if (wpft_options::get_option(‘bShowToolbar’) == ‘true’) {
   >  $out .= ‘setToolbarYPad(
   > 20);’.”\n”; } else { $out .= ‘setToolbarYPad(0);’.”\n”; } $out .= ‘setToolbarPos(
   > true, 3, 3);’.”\n”; $out .= ‘setMinBoxWidth(‘.wpft_options::get_option(‘nodeminwidth’).’);’.”\
   > n”;
   >  $out .= ‘jQuery(document).ready(function($){‘.”\n”;
   >  $out .= ‘ add_drag();’.”\
   > n”; $out .= ‘ familytreemain();’.”\n”; $out .= ” var midpos = $(‘#familytree
   > svg’).width()/2 – $(‘#borderBox’).width()/2;”.”\n”; $out .= ” $(‘#dragableElement’).
   > css(‘left’, -midpos);”.”\n”; $out .= ‘});’.”\n”;
   >  $out .= ‘</script>’;
   > /*
   >  setDeath = function(bState) */ $out .= ‘<input type=”hidden” size=”30″ 
   > name=”focusperson” id=”focusperson” value=”‘.$ancestor.'”>’.”\n”;
   >  $out .= ‘<div id=”borderBox”>’.”\n”;
   >  $out .= ‘<div id=”dragableElement”>’;
   > $out .= ‘<div id=”tree-container”>’.”\n”; $out .= ‘<div id=”toolbar-container”
   > >’.”\n”; foreach ($the_family as $node) { $out .= $node->get_toolbar_div();}
   > $out .= ‘</div>’.”\n”; $out .= ‘<div id=”thumbnail-container”>’.”\n”; foreach(
   > $the_family as $node) { $out .= $node->get_thumbnail_div(); } $out .= ‘</div
   > >’.”\n”; $out .= ‘<div id=”familytree”></div>’.”\n”; $out .= ‘<img name=”hoverimage”
   > id=”hoverimage” style=”visibility:hidden;” >’.”\n”; $out .= ‘</div>’.”\n”; //
   > tree-container $out .= ‘</div>’.”\n”; // borderBox $out .= ‘</div>’.”\n”; //
   > dragableElement if (wpft_options::get_option(‘showcreditlink’) == ‘true’) {
   > $out .= ‘<p style=”text-align:left”><small>powered by [WP Family Tree](http://www.esscotti.com/wp-family-tree-plugin)
   > </small></p>’.”\n”; } /* $out .='<script type=”text/javascript”>’; $out .=’
   > var el = document.getElementById(\’tree-container\’);’; $out .=’ var leftEdge
   > = el.parentNode.clientWidth – el.clientWidth;’; $out .=’ var topEdge = el.parentNode.
   > clientHeight – el.clientHeight;’; $out .=’ var dragObj = new dragObject(el,
   > null, new Position(leftEdge, topEdge), new Position(0, 0));’; $out .='</script
   > >’; */ return $out; } function bio_data() { global $post; $ftlink = wpft_options::
   > get_option(‘family_tree_link’); if (strpos($ftlink, ‘?’) === false) { echo ‘
   > <p>post_title.'”>click here to view family tree‘; } else { echo ‘<p>post_title.'”
   > >click here to view family tree‘; } }
   > function family_tree_edit_page_form()
   >  { global $post; ?> <div id=”ftdiv” class
   > =”postbox”> <h3>Family tree info (optional)</h3> <div class=”inside”>
   >  <table>
   >  <?php
   >  $family = get_posts(‘category_name=’.wpft_options::get_option(‘family_tree_category_key’).’&
   > numberposts=-1&orderby=title&order=asc’);
   >  $males = array(); $females = array();
   > foreach ($family as $f) { if ($f->ID != $post->ID) { $postgender = get_post_meta(
   > $f->ID, ‘gender’, true); if ($postgender == “m”) { $males[] = $f; } else if(
   > $postgender = “f”) { $females[] = $f; } else { $males[] = $f; $females[] = 
   > $f; } } }
   >  $gender = get_post_meta($post->ID, ‘gender’, true);
   >  $mother = get_post_meta(
   > $post->ID, ‘mother’, true); $father = get_post_meta($post->ID, ‘father’, true);
   > $spouse = get_post_meta($post->ID, ‘spouse’, true); ?> <tr><td>Gender:</td>
   > <td> <select name=”gender” id=”gender”> <option value=”” <?php if (empty($gender))
   > echo “selected=\”selected\””; ?>></option> <option value=”m” <?php if ($gender
   > == “m”) echo “selected=\”selected\””; ?>>Male</option> <option value=”f” <?
   > php if ($gender == “f”) echo “selected=\”selected\””; ?>>Female</option> </
   > select></td></tr> <tr><td>Born (YYYY-MM-DD):</td><td><input type=”text” name
   > =”born” value=”<?php echo wp_specialchars(get_post_meta($post->ID, ‘born’, 
   > true), true) ?>” id=”born” size=”80″ /></td></tr> <tr><td>Died (YYYY-MM-DD):
   > </td><td><input type=”text” name=”died” value=”<?php echo wp_specialchars(get_post_meta(
   > $post->ID, ‘died’, true), true) ?>” id=”died” size=”80″ /></td></tr> <tr><td
   > >Mother:</td><td> <select style=”width:200px” name=”mother” id=”mother”> <option
   > value=”” <?php if (empty($mother)) echo “selected=\”selected\””; ?>> </option
   > > <?php foreach ($females as $f) { echo ‘<option value=”‘.$f->ID.'” ‘; if (
   > $f->ID == $mother) echo “selected=\”selected\””; echo ‘>’.$f->post_title.'</
   > option>’; } ?> </select> </td></tr>
   >  <tr><td>Father:</td><td>
   >  <select style=”width:200px” name=”father” id=”father”
   > > <option value=”” <?php if (empty($father)) echo “selected=\”selected\””; ?
   > >> </option> <?php foreach ($males as $f) { echo ‘<option value=”‘.$f->ID.'”‘;
   > if ($f->ID == $father) echo “selected=\”selected\””; echo ‘>’.$f->post_title.'
   > </option>’; } ?> </select> </td></tr>
   >  <tr><td>Spouse:</td><td>
   >  <select style=”width:200px” name=”spouse” id=”spouse”
   > > <option value=”-” <?php if (empty($spouse) || $spouse==”-“) echo “selected
   > =\”selected\””; ?>> </option> <?php /* if ($gender == “f”) { foreach ($males
   > as $f) { echo ‘<option value=”‘.$f->ID.'” ‘; if ($f->ID == $spouse) echo “selected
   > =\”selected\””; echo ‘>’.$f->post_title.'</option>’; } } else if ($gender =
   > = “m”) { foreach ($females as $f) { echo ‘<option value=”‘.$f->ID.'” ‘; if (
   > $f->ID == $spouse) echo “selected=\”selected\””; echo ‘>’.$f->post_title.'</
   > option>’; } } else { */ foreach ($family as $f) { echo ‘<option value=”‘.$f-
   > >ID.'” ‘; if ($f->ID == $spouse) echo “selected=\”selected\””; echo ‘>’.$f-
   > >post_title.'</option>’; } // } ?> </select> </td></tr>
   >  </table>
   >  </div> </div> <?php }
   > // Javascript data picker
   >  // Facebook page, skype id, IM etc // Occupation//
   > Locations: birthplace, died at, current location // Spouse
   > function family_tree_update_post($id)
   >  { $born = stripslashes(strip_tags($_POST[‘
   > born’])); $died = stripslashes(strip_tags($_POST[‘died’])); $mother = stripslashes(
   > strip_tags($_POST[‘mother’])); $father = stripslashes(strip_tags($_POST[‘father’]));
   > $spouse = stripslashes(strip_tags($_POST[‘spouse’])); $gender = stripslashes(
   > strip_tags($_POST[‘gender’]));
   >  if (!empty($born)) { delete_post_meta($id, ‘born’); add_post_meta($id, ‘born’,
   > $born); } //else { add_post_meta($id, ‘born’, $born); }
   >  if (!empty($died)){
   > delete_post_meta($id, ‘died’); add_post_meta($id, ‘died’, $died); } //else {
   > add_post_meta($id, ‘died’, $died); } if (!empty($mother)) { delete_post_meta(
   > $id, ‘mother’); add_post_meta($id, ‘mother’, $mother); } //else ( add_post_meta(
   > $id, ‘mother’, $mother); } if (!empty($father)) { delete_post_meta($id, ‘father’);
   > add_post_meta($id, ‘father’, $father); } //else { add_post_meta($id, ‘father’,
   > $father); } if (!empty($spouse)) { delete_post_meta($id, ‘spouse’); add_post_meta(
   > $id, ‘spouse’, $spouse); } //else { add_post_meta($id, ‘father’, $father); }
   > if (!empty($gender)) { delete_post_meta($id, ‘gender’); add_post_meta($id, ‘
   > gender’, $gender); } //else { add_post_meta($id, ‘gender’, $gender); } }
   > // Function to deal with showing the family tree on pages
   >  function family_list_insert(
   > $content) { if (preg_match(‘{FAMILY-MEMBERS}’,$content)) { $ft_output = family_list();
   > $content = str_replace(‘{FAMILY-MEMBERS}’, $ft_output, $content); } return 
   > $content; } // Function to deal with showing the family tree on pages function
   > family_tree_insert($content) { if (preg_match(‘{FAMILY-TREE}’,$content)) { 
   > $ft_output = family_tree(); $content = str_replace(‘{FAMILY-TREE}’, $ft_output,
   > $content); } return $content; } // Function to deal with showing biodata on
   > posts function bio_data_insert($content) { global $post; $category = wpft_options::
   > get_option(‘family_tree_category_key’); $cats = get_the_category(); // get 
   > array of category objects that apply to this post foreach ($cats as $cat) {
   > if ($cat->slug == $category || $cat->name == $category) { // This post is a
   > family member post so do the work… $the_family = tree::get_tree(); if (isset(
   > $the_family[$post->ID])) { $html = $the_family[$post->ID]->get_html($the_family);
   > $content = $html.$content; } break; } } return $content; }
   > function wpft_family_tree_shortcode($atts, $content=NULL) {
   >  $root = $atts[‘
   > root’]; $ft_output = family_tree($root);
   >  wpft_options::check_options();
   >  return $ft_output;
   >  }
   > function wpft_family_members_shortcode($atts, $content=NULL) {
   >  $root = $atts[‘
   > root’]; $ft_output = family_tree($root); $ft_output = family_list();
   >  wpft_options::check_options();
   >  return $ft_output;
   >  }
   > add_shortcode(‘family-tree’, ‘wpft_family_tree_shortcode’);
   >  add_shortcode(‘
   > family-members’, ‘wpft_family_members_shortcode’);
   > add_action(‘admin_menu’, ‘family_tree_options_page’);
   > function wpft_addHeaderCode() {
   >  $plugloc = WP_PLUGIN_URL.’/’.str_replace(basename(
   > __FILE__),””,plugin_basename(__FILE__)); wp_enqueue_script(‘jquery’); wp_enqueue_script(‘
   > raphael’, $plugloc.’raphael.js’); wp_enqueue_script(‘familytree’, $plugloc.’
   > familytree.js’); wp_enqueue_script(‘dragobject’, $plugloc.’dragobject.js’);
   > wp_enqueue_script(‘onload’, $plugloc.’onload.js’); wp_enqueue_style(‘ft-style’,
   > $plugloc.’styles.css’); } function addFooterCode() {
   > }
   > // Enable the ability for the family tree to be loaded from pages
   >  add_filter(‘
   > the_content’,’family_list_insert’); add_filter(‘the_content’,’family_tree_insert’);
   > if (wpft_options::get_option(‘show_biodata_on_posts_page’) == ‘true’) {
   >  add_filter(‘
   > the_content’,’bio_data_insert’); }
   > add_action(‘init’, ‘wpft_addHeaderCode’);
   >  add_action(‘edit_post’, ‘family_tree_update_post’);
   > add_action(‘save_post’, ‘family_tree_update_post’); add_action(‘publish_post’,‘
   > family_tree_update_post’);
   > add_action(‘edit_page_form’, ‘family_tree_edit_page_form’);
   >  add_action(‘edit_form_advanced’,‘
   > family_tree_edit_page_form’); add_action(‘simple_edit_form’, ‘family_tree_edit_page_form’);
   > ?>
 * [http://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-family-tree/](http://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-family-tree/)

Viewing 1 replies (of 1 total)

 *  Thread Starter [terryhooker](https://wordpress.org/support/users/terryhooker/)
 * (@terryhooker)
 * [12 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/illegal-string-offset-root/#post-4401885)
 * As a heads up, the link i provided will no longer show the error, but I’d still
   like to know how to fix it, if anyone can help.
 * For anyone else who may be having this problem… I made a temporary work-around
   by forcing the root to start at a certain person. I just made that person the
   oldest relative. For example: [family-tree root=’John Doe’].
 * For some reason, the error doesn’t show up when you do this. Maybe this fact 
   will also help to troubleshoot the problem?

Viewing 1 replies (of 1 total)

The topic ‘Illegal string offset 'root'’ is closed to new replies.

 * ![](https://s.w.org/plugins/geopattern-icon/wp-family-tree.svg)
 * [WP Family Tree](https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-family-tree/)
 * [Support Threads](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wp-family-tree/)
 * [Active Topics](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wp-family-tree/active/)
 * [Unresolved Topics](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wp-family-tree/unresolved/)
 * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/wp-family-tree/reviews/)

## Tags

 * [illegal string offset](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/illegal-string-offset/)

 * 1 reply
 * 1 participant
 * Last reply from: [terryhooker](https://wordpress.org/support/users/terryhooker/)
 * Last activity: [12 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/illegal-string-offset-root/#post-4401885)
 * Status: not resolved